Salad toppings of diverse components are well known. For instance, it is quite common to find in restaurants today a salad bar which will offer numerous toppings such as tomato pieces, cucumber slices, onion rings, croutons, bacon bits, cheese bits, and the like. These diverse components are arranged in separate containers and the customer very easily selects from the multiple containers to make up a salad topping of choice. However, the luxury of such a selection is unique to restaurants and not generally available for normal consumption at home.
Packaged batter-coated and then deep-fat fried vegetable pieces such as onion rings or pieces are known, for instance those marketed by SCM Corporation under the trademark Durkee O & C French Fried Onions. The same are sold as a topping for casseroles, green beans and the like, and are readily pourable from their container. This is because they are immediately packaged following frying and are not subject to moisture pick-up from the environment.
However, if the batter-coated and fried onion pieces are to be combined with other ingredients, for instance textured vegetable proteins such as imitation bacon bits, to make up a package of diverse components, they have to be blended with the other ingredients prior to packaging. This allows the onion pieces to be exposed to atmospheric conditions for a sufficient time to pick up moisture, the moisture and high oil content of the pieces giving them a tendency to adhere or stick together. Particularly in pouring from a container, they have a tendency to pour as clumps of particles. This adherence tendency increases with high storage temperatures, for instance about 86.degree. F. Ingredients are known and marketed as anti-caking compounds, for instance Zeofree 80, marketed by Huber Company. Such ingredients have not been found to be successful in preventing clumping of deep-fat fried, batter-coated products, particularly during dispensing or pouring from a container. Also, such ingredients may not necessarily be organoleptically compatible or complementary with batter coated and fried onion or other vegetable pieces.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,976,798 to Young et al, describes packaged, breaded vegetable product such as onion rings, wherein the coating of the breaded ring is set quickly, as by flash frying, and then frozen. It is reconstituted by frying prior to use. The breading is provided in two layers; an interior layer of viscous batter with fine mesh breading, and an outer layer of relatively less viscous batter with relatively course mesh breading. The breading is an integral part of the onion ring or vegetable product.